Radiator-valve.



G. D. HOFFMAN.

RADIATOR VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED 110v. 7, 1910.

V 3 Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

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GEORGE D. HOFFMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 NORWALD MANUFAC- [DURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGQ, ILLINOIS.

RADIATOR-VALVE.

1,0875119. Specification of Letters Patent Patented Feb. 1'2, idle.

Application filed November 7, 1910. Serial No. 591,038.

large enough to receive the member D. The gasket F preferably lies upon the flange a, pro ecting inwardly beyond the same so as to engage the member D. In this way the gasket serves the double purpose of making tight joints between the main casing and its cap and between the member D and the cap.

The member D is preferably made of sheet metal or in the form of a thin cast ing having a plurality of windows d. Each of the windows is covered with fine wire mesh d so that water entering through the nipple is strained and freed from solid mattors before it flows into the interior of the inner casing. I prefer to position the member D so that one of the panels d, between two windows, lies directly in front of the nipple thus breaking the force of the in- To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE D. HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a. certain new and useful 1mprovementin Radiator-Valves, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same; reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to provide a novel and efficient valve for permitting the escape of air or of air and water from radiators, preventing the escape of steam, and maintaining a partial vacuum in the radiators when steam is shut off.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

' Figure l is a side elevation of a preferred form of valve; Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on an enlarged scale; and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the strainer on the same scale as Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, A represents a casing, illustrated as cylindrical, having one end closed by a wall A.

B is a cap screw-threaded or otherwise detachably secured upon the open end of the casing for the purpose of closing the same.

C is a nipple secured in an opening in theside of the casing and adapted to connect the interior of the casing with the interior of a radiator.

D is a cageor auxiliary casing, open at the ends and somewhat smaller in diameter than the main casing.

E is a gasket arranged between the lower edge of the member D and the bottom wall of the casing for the purpose of making tight joint. A similar gasket F lies between the upper edge of the member D and the underside of the cap. The member D may conveniently be centered within the outer casing by means of an annular flange a projecting inwardly around the top of the main a central open ng ust same into streams which How in opposite directions around the strainer. TlllS arrangement brings the screens out of the makes the strainer more efiective.

The bottom wall of the casing has a flanged central opening G. through which extends a tubular neck H carried by a dishlike member I which lies within the casing and rests upon the bottom.

K is a flexible dia hragm stretched across the top of the meml er I and having a central port therethrough. In manufacturing the valve, the diaphragm may be soldered across the top of the member I and the latter may then he slipped into the casing and be soldered or brazed in place. This construction has the advantage that the diaphragm may be mounted upon its support under good working conditions and the support may then be secured in place in the casing withoutdanger of injuring the joint between it and the diaphragm. The port in the diaphragm may conveniently take the form of an axial opening Z in a plug L which extends through the diaphragm at the center. The port in the diaphragm is controlled by a valve M carried by an expansible member supported within the upper part of the casing. The expansible member may conveniently take the form of a shallow inverted cup 0 having its mouth closed by a diaphragm P, the valve being connected to the diaphragm at the center. The expansible member may conveniently flowing water and air and dividing the path of the inrushing water and airand be supported by means of a plug R which extends through the cap B at the center thereof and is adjustably held in place by screw-threads or the like; the expansible member having a stem S projecting upwardly from the same and connected to the plug R by means of a ball and socket joint T. It will be seen that by raising or lowering the plug the adjustment of the valve relative to the port which it controls may be varied. By suspending the expansible member flexibly it is permitted to adjust itself so as to bring its axis into any desired angular position, therefore making it possible for the valve to seat itself accurately even though either or both of the diaphragms should be out of true. The expansible member may be filled with any usual medium which will expand when heated so as to hex the diaphragm P and cause it to bulge out wardly. In order to preventinjury to the diaphragm P, due to the creation of too hlgh avacuum within the expansible member, I prefer to arrange within the same a strut or post U which will limit the inward move ment of the diaphragm. This strut or post may also serve as a means of attachment for the valve, the valve having a screw-threaded portion m which extends through the diaphragm and is screwed into the post.

I prefer to make the member H large enough in diameter so as to permit the sleeve V of an ordinary union coupling between the valve and a water or air pipe to be secured thereto.

WV is a block which is soldered or brazed into the member H and has a bearing face to adapted to engage with a complementary bearing face 1; in the coupling. The outlet from the casing is through a port or passage in the member W. I prefer to make the outlet passage in a tube or sleeve X which is screw-threaded or otherwise adjustably mounted in the member W so that it may be raised and lowered, this member acting as a stop,,or abutment to limit the downward movement of the diaphragm K.

. Assuming thatthe valve is connected in the air line of aheating system, the nipples C being connected to a radiator which is cold: when steam is turned on, any air which there may be in the radiator passes ahead of the steam into the valve, depressing the diaphragm K and flowing through the port into the air line. When steam reaches the valve, the expansible member becomes hot, its. diaphragm bulges downwardly and the valve closes the port in the other diaphragm,

forcing the latter diaphragm down until the plug L engages with the member X. When ste am"'is shut off, the expansible member dool's; carrying the valve upwardly. The

diaphra gm K isv so constructed that, when free to do.so, it assumes the position indicat'ed in and therefore, as the valve cools, the lower diaphragm follows the receding valve and keeps the outlet port closed so that a high vacuum may be reached in the radiator after the steam has condensed. The valve may of course be used as a simple air valve, there being no air line. In this case the operation of the valve will be the same as before, the air from the radiator simply escaping through the outlet port into the surrounding atmosphere. \Vhere the valve is conncr ted in the return line of the heating system, carrying away the water of condensation, it operates in the manner previously described and, in addition, opens whenever the valve becomes filled with water of condensation and permits the water to be discharged into the return line. It will be seen that the inflowing medium, either water or air, is thoroughly strained so that the valve and the port with which it cooperates are kept free from. grit and dirt. The windows do not extend clear to the bottom of the strainer so that the grit and dirt can pile up in the annular space surrounding the strainer without coming into cont-act with the screens. In order to clean the valve it is only necessary to unscrew the cap and lift out the strainer, ready access being thus given to the interior of the device and the grit and dirt being readily removed. Similarly, when it is desired to inspect the valve seat, it is only necessary to unscrew the cap, lifting the expansible member and its valve out of the casing and exposing the lower diaphragm.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single form of my invention I do not desire to be limited to the specific details so illustrated and described; but intend covering all constructions and arrangements which fall within the terms employed in the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

W'hat I claim is:

1. In a valve for radiators, an outer casing having a detachable end, an open-ended inner casing extending between and held in place by the ends of the outer casing, an expansible member arranged within the inner casing and flexibly suspended from said detachable end, a diaphragm extending across the inner casing adjacent to the opposite end, said diaphragm having a port therethrough, a valve on said expansible member for controlling said port, said inner casing having windows therethrough, screens covering said windows, and the outer casing having an inlet port therein at a point outside of the inner casing and having also an outlet port at a point below the diaphragm.

2. In a valve for radiators, an outer casing having a detachable end, an open-ended inner casing extending between and engaging with said detachable end and the end opposite thereto so as to be held in place thereby, a diaphragm extending across the diaphragm for eoii'perating with the port in inner casing, said inner casing having the diaphragm. 10 screened Windows therein, the outer casing In testimony whereoI, I sign this-specifihaving an inlet at apoinii outside of the cation in the presence of two witnesses:

:. inner casing and an outlet at a point below GEORGE D. HOFFMAN.

the diaphragm,-said diaphragm having a 1 Witnesses: port therethrough, and a valve device ar- M. F. FREUDENREIGH, ranged Within the inner casing above thel RUBY BRYDGES. 

